Lifting and exertion injuries decrease after implementation of an integrated hospital-wide safe patient handling and...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Occupational health and safety
• Patient handling ergonomics

Background:

• Early and frequent patient mobilization is increasingly emphasized in acute care.
• Integrating safe patient handling and mobilization (SPHM) practices is crucial for quality initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a SPHM program within a hospital-wide patient care improvement initiative.
• To assess the impact of a systems approach integrating SPHM equipment and practices into patient care plans.

Main Methods:

• Program evaluation using baseline and 12-month follow-up surveys of 1832 direct patient care workers.
• Assessment of work practices and self-reported pain.
• Analysis of recordable injury rates from an integrated employee payroll and injury database at two hospitals.

Main Results:

• Significant improvement in safe and unsafe patient handling practice scales at the study hospital (p<0.0001 and p=0.0031).
• Significant decreases in recordable neck/shoulder (RR=0.68), lifting/exertion (RR=0.73), and pain/inflammation (RR=0.78) injury rates at the study hospital.
• No significant changes observed at the comparison hospital.

Conclusions:

• A SPHM program, integrated into a patient mobilization initiative, improved work practices and reduced worker injuries.
• A systems approach based on best practices, including integration into patient care plans, shows potential impact.
• SPHM programs are effective in enhancing healthcare worker safety and patient care quality.